About

The legal department of Citrix Systems is led by Oliver Kirchner, who serves as general counsel for EMEA. The team currently has six lawyers spread across Schaffhausen, London and Paris and one paralegal in Schaffhausen. In addition to heading the EMEA legal department, Kirchner also takes care of government relations and represents the company in industry associations and joint initiatives with other local companies as a member of the management board of Citrix Systems International. During the past two years, the focus of the legal team has shifted significantly from being a reactive support function to a proactive and business-minded function. Working closely with the sales teams and business management, the legal team identifies issues proactively. The team also implemented a growth mind-set culture, getting lawyers from avoiding risk to managing it. ‘Implementing these changes required all legal team members to step out of their comfort zone but is highly appreciated by the internal clients – we have also received a lot of positive feedback from customers’ lawyers and their business’, Kirchner says. The legal team has advised the business on all major deals, in particular several cloud transactions. One major project is a review of cloud regulations for several jurisdictions, focusing not on limiting risks for Citrix, but identifying business opportunities. The legal team played a substantial role in enabling the business teams to handle existing and perceived legal obstacles, and also advised on strategic decisions related to investments in current and existing markets. Summing up the team ethos, Kirchner says, ‘Being a good lawyer is not enough. We believe that while it is important to be a good lawyer there are more important things such as understanding the relevant facts, enhancing efficiency, being creative and solution-oriented, being able and willing to make decisions, taking calculated risks, and talking the language of the client’. The legal team embraces diversity just like Citrix as a whole, having lawyers from different backgrounds who are able to speak multiple languages and have worked in different industries or practised in more than one jurisdiction. ‘Gender diversity and generational diversity are a focus in our hiring strategy, and we hope to attract talent that makes the team even more diverse, as we believe that diversity and inclusion are the fuel for innovation and help drive better outcomes’, Kirchner comments.